Observations #2

* Transport #1

While in Laos we leant that to avoid disappointment when travelling, double the estimated time of travel stated in the guide book. After our first internal trip in Cambodia, we learnt that here you should triple it.

* Transport #2

In Cambodia, horse and cart, cow and cart and buffalo and cart are still common methods of transport. The horses in particular are funny to see as they are usually well groomed, pretty little ponys, often addorned with tassles and bells. They look like animals you'd see carting children around at a fair at home, but here their cargo is more likely to be a couple of large pigs on a one-way journey to someone's dinner plate.

*Transport #3

In every country we've been to, you always see multiple people on motorbikes. In Thailand and Laos three people were common and we'd occassionally see four. In Cambodia, it's more likely to be five. We figure that while in Australia, when a family has a fourth child, they consider buying a bigger car, in Cambodia, they consider buying a second motorbike.

* Concern about Niels #2

Niels now thinks he is a Khmer warrior. He bought a traditional headscarf which he wears all the time. He has hired a bicycle which he calls his "war machine". He rings the bell and says it is war drums. He thinks he is going to ride it into battle. He eats noodle soup for every meal, he says it is the food of warriors.